


Doctor Jin

by MidgardianHero



Series: Five Hearts [1]
Category: Harvest Moon, Harvest Moon: Animal Parade
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-14
Updated: 2014-04-14
Packaged: 2018-01-15 16:43:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1311889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidgardianHero/pseuds/MidgardianHero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I own nothing; all rights go to the respective owners and creators.</p><p>This is my first HM fic! Comments and critiques are welcome! :D</p></blockquote>





	1. The Cabbage Incident

____________________________________________________ ❦

To Hikari, the doctor seemed like a pensive man.

He rarely left his clinic, although she would occasionally see him pacing out front on Sundays when business in Harmonica Town was brought to a lull. His strides were always slow and practiced, his hands clasped elegantly behind his back, his eyes downcast as though there was something weighing on his mind.

She would often wave to him in passing. Offer a friendly smile instead of a verbal hello, to which he would sometimes respond with a curt, obligatory nod.

Considering how distant he’d always seemed, even for a stranger, it felt odd to be this close to him now. To have his right hand pressed firmly to the shallow dip of her back, balancing her on the stool as he listened to her heartbeat through his stethoscope.

"Breathe in," he instructed, applying more pressure with his touch as she obeyed. "… and breathe out." He appeared to be staring directly through her, focusing on something that wasn’t visible to the naked eye. "Do you feel any pain when you take deep breaths?"

Hikari lightly shook her head. “No.”

Her smile turned sheepish as she reached up and tucked a curly strand of auburn hair behind her ear. “I’m fine, really. I just wasn’t paying close enough attention to what I was doing. I didn’t think a check-up was necessary, but Bo insisted —”

"He was right to insist," the doctor interjected. He didn’t speak harshly, but there was a seriousness in his narrow gaze she hadn’t been expecting.

"I’m relieved he happened by your farm when he did," he continued. "Clumsiness is one thing, but fatigue brought on by overexertion is an entirely different matter."

Hikari reddened a bit, suddenly feeling like a scolded child. She knew how many responsibilities she was taking on when she decided to trade in her old life for work as a full-time rancher, but she had no way of knowing how difficult it would be for her body to adjust to her new lifestyle.

Lesson learned.

"I’m sorry," she said after a slightly uncomfortable pause, unsure of what else to say to the critical man who was standing so close to her she could pick up on the scent of his soap. He smelled of eucalyptus and mint, and some other herb she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

The doctor smiled faintly, and she swore she could see small creases of amusement forming at the corners of his eyes.

He lowered the stethoscope and removed his hand from her back, turning his attention to the clipboard that held her paperwork. “There’s no need to apologize to  _me_. All I can ask is that you be more mindful of your body from now on. Listen to what it tells you and accidents like this should be easily avoidable in the future.”

The stubborn part of her brain wanted to defend her actions to some extent — her workload wasn’t going to lessen just because she got tired, after all — but the reasonable part knew there was no excuse that would rationalize working oneself to the point of exhaustion.

To add insult to injury, she’d collapsed face-down in a cluster of cabbages when Bo found her. Her legs were covered in minor scratches from the fall and her entire front was smudged with soil. She couldn’t help but notice how crisp and pristine the doctor looked in comparison, with his blindingly white coat and silky, manageable hair.

"Thanks for patching me up," she offered, giving in to a wince as she tried to rotate her left shoulder. "Did everything else check out okay? How long do you think I’ll have to rest up before I can get back to work?"

He actually chuckled at this, so deep in his throat it was barely audible. “I’ve heard you were a busy bee, but I really had no idea.”

Hikari shrugged and tried not to beam. For a city girl with hardly any hands-on experience, she was pretty damn proud of everything she’d accomplished since the start of the new year. “What can I say? I’ve found my calling, I guess.”

The doctor glanced up from her paperwork and smiled, his closed eyes forming perfectly round little arcs behind his spectacles. “Well, then you’ll be pleased to hear you can start working again first thing tomorrow, provided you take it easy and get a full night’s rest.”

He opened his eyes and leaned forward, lightly waggling his pen at her to get his point across. “I already spoke to Bo and he says he’s willing to lend you a helping hand until you’re back to your usual strength. Do yourself a favor and let him, please. I would be very distraught if something like this were to happen again.”

"I cross my heart, Doctor," she grinned. "For  _your_  sake.”

"Jin," he replied with a kind slip of a smile. "Feel free to call me Jin."

 _ ___________________________________________________ ❦

Hikari accepted his offered hand and leaned against him as he helped her down off the stool, reminding her to be mindful of her scrapes. He’d given them an antibacterial cleansing and bandaged them for good measure, but the irking pain of them was enough to reduce her to limping when she tried to walk.

Jin helped her cross the small area between his desk and the check-in counter, where a stern-looking woman was rearranging medical journals on a high shelf.

"This is my grandmother, Irene," he said warmly. "She’ll help you check out and see to it you have everything you need."

The intimidating woman placed the leftover journals on the counter and focused her attention on the patient instead, bowing her head by way of greeting. In spite of her austere expression, there was a kindness in her eyes that Hikari had seen in Jin’s only moments ago.

"Miss Hikari suffered a fall today brought on by fatigue," he said, his tone professionally direct. "One bottle should do the trick."

Hikari reluctantly let go of Jin’s hand and watched as he passed his grandmother the clipboard detailing her information.

"If anything changes, Hikari," he began, eyeing her with genuine concern. "That is to say, if anything  _worsens_ by tomorrow morning, don’t hesitate to call.”

"I won’t," she said assuredly.

Content with her response, Jin gave a subtle smile and slipped his hands into the pockets of his coat before turning on his heel and disappearing into the back room.

"Here we are," Irene said briskly, placing a red bottle of Bodigizer on the counter. "Take two tablespoons before you go to sleep and you should wake up feeling good as new. The taste is rather bitter, so I would suggest washing it down with some mild tea."

"Thank you," Hikari sighed. "How much do I owe?"

Irene glanced over the paperwork once more as if to reconfirm what she already knew. “It seems the doctor has covered the cost of your visit,” she said with raised eyebrows.

"He  _what_?” Hikari blinked, thinking she might have misheard.

"That’s what it says here." The woman’s grin was nothing more than a tight line pulled across her aging features. "My grandson is a tad too generous, if you ask me."

"Is he being serious? I don’t mind paying."

Irene laughed softly and shook her head. “Jin is little else, if not serious. Payment won’t be necessary this time around.” She placed the bottle in a brown paper bag and set it nearer to her on the counter. “Take good care of yourself, my dear. If you feel you need more medicine, our services are only a phone call away.”

 _ ___________________________________________________ ❦

Later that night, as she sat at the kitchen table and sipped from her second cup of green tea (made almost unbearably sweet to erase the taste of the bitter concoction), she thought of the doctor’s kind face; the feel of his hand at her back, and she knew she would have to find a way to repay him.

If not to settle a debt, then simply for the sake of seeing him again.

 _ ___________________________________________________ ❦


	2. Luckier Than Most

__________________________________________________ ❦

"Let me get this straight," Kathy said carefully. "This is all for  _Jin_ … as in  _Doctor Jin_  who works at the clinic?”

"Uh-huh. Why? Is that surprising?"

Kathy stopped poking at her seafood curry and leaned back in the rickety old kitchen chair, clasping her hands aloofly behind her head. “I don’t know. I guess so? He just doesn’t seem like the kinda guy who makes friends easily, that’s all.”

Hikari shrugged as she stood on her tip-toes, looming over the pot of bubbling rice and shellfish. “He seems nice enough. He did me a favor last week, so I figured the least I could do is bring him some lunch.” She held a spoonful of curry up to her face and inhaled the briny aroma. “Do you think he even likes seafood?”

Kathy arched a brow and pursed her lips. “How should I know? I’ve only been to see him once or twice. Did you know that a few sips of Remedy can cure a hangover?”

Bo glanced up from his seat at the opposite end of the table and shot her a mildly disapproving look.

“ _What?_ " she countered. "Got somethin’ to say?"

Ignoring the mouthy blonde, he turned to Hikari and offered a thumbs up. “This curry isn’t half bad! I’m not a gourmet or anything, but I think any guy would feel lucky to have a home-cooked meal made just for him.” He paused and spoke into his bowl with a hesitant grin. “Especially by a girl he likes.”

She stilled her stirring and glared over her shoulder. “He doesn’t ‘like’ me. Not like  _that_ , anyway. We’re just… friendly acquaintances.”

Kathy waggled her eyebrows with a knowing smirk. “What makes you so sure? Doctors don’t usually foot the bill for their patients. Maybe seeing you all cute and vulnerable made him weak in the knees.”

Hikari frowned and shook the stirring spoon in Kathy’s direction, accidentally flinging a small bit of curry in the process. “Doctor Jin  _and his knees_  are just as rigid as ever, I’m sure.”

Kathy and Bo exchanged a doubtful look, and after a few more mouthfuls of rice, the carpenter scooted out of his chair and carried his empty bowl to the sink. He was nice like that — always the respectful guest, even when his host was the sort of person who left shellfish splattered on the floor for the cat to lick up instead of cleaning it herself.

"Well, I think it’s time for me to get back to work. Thanks for the food." He smiled and placed a reassuring hand on Hikari’s shoulder. "Don’t sweat it, okay? You also might wanna take it easy on the ride over. I don’t think Jin would like it very much if he thought you were pushing yourself."

"I’ll take it slow," she promised. "Thanks for being my guinea pigs, by the way. I’ll call you guys in to try the cookies when they’re done."

Kathy perked up at the mention of cookies, then let out a small yelp as Bo gave a light tug on her ponytail.

"Let’s go," he said. "The livestock need to be groomed and fed. That’s what you offered to come here and do, remember?"

The blonde shot him a warning glare and cracked her knuckles for emphasis, then turned to Hikari with a smile so sweet and dainty it was hard to believe she was capable of such a brutish gesture.

"Have fun on your date! If you get there and the Doc’ expects a kiss, don’t say I didn’t warn ya."

“ _Not a date,_ " she corrected, but the point was lost.

"Are you sure? Because if you need someone to give you ‘The Talk’, I’m more than qualified to answer any questions you may have about your growing bo—"

"—  _OUT, KATHY._ ”

 __________________________________________________ ❦

There was an uncomfortable tightness in her stomach by the time she reached the clinic. The bright blue walls didn’t seem as inviting when her confidence was shaken. She was regretting not changing out of her work clothes, but Bo and Kathy wouldn’t let her hear the end of it if they caught her sprucing herself up for her not-date.

“ _Oh, hell,_ " she grumbled when she caught sight of her reflection in the window. She quickly smoothed down her hair and thwacked the sides of her boots against the pavement to kick off some of the caked-on dirt. She’d checked her appearance in the mirror before she left, but riding on horseback wasn’t the tidiest mode of transportation.

When she deemed herself acceptable, Hikari took a deep breath and pushed open the clinic door. There wasn’t anyone behind the reception desk, but she could hear voices softly speaking in the room beyond.

Deciding there was little else to do but wait, she plopped down on one of the brown leather couches in the lobby and flipped through an anti-smoking pamphlet to distract herself.

Five uneasy minutes later, she lifted her head at the soft click of a turning doorknob. Doctor Jin held open the door and smiled kindly as a young woman glided past him. She was pale and frail with an unshakable sadness in her pretty eyes, and Hikari recognized her as the girl from the neighboring farm. What was her name again?

She stilled when she saw Hikari seated there, offering a smile and a shallow bow of her head. “Good afternoon,” she said, her voice soft and warm. “I hope my visit hasn’t kept you waiting long.”

Hikari smiled in return and put the pamphlet back in the rack where she found it. “No worries! I was just… reading,” she replied, nearly losing her train of thought when she accidentally locked eyes with Jin. He was studying her curiously with a question in his gaze, but he was quick to avert his eyes when he caught her staring back at him.

"I’ll be with you in just a moment," he said cordially before turning back to the farmers’ daughter. He stepped lightly behind the counter and gathered up two bottles of cold medicine and a brown paper bag filled with blue herbs.

"Take care of yourself, Anissa. People with your constitution must take extra measures to adhere to the weather this time of year. I won’t stop you from working outside on warmer days, but I would strongly advise you to stay indoors if you feel a chill in the air."

Anissa —  _right, so that was her name_  — bowed her head in thanks. She seemed both thankful and discouraged, and Hikari instantly recognized the feeling. Being told to ‘take it easy’ when there was work to be done was one of her biggest frustrations, so she could only imagine what it was like when your own family was depending on your help.

Still, if Anissa was frustrated, she didn’t let it show too plainly. She swallowed her disappointment gracefully and thanked him for his help. “It was good to see you again,” she said, glancing to Hikari with a polite nod. “I trust you’ll pay another visit to Marimba when summer rolls around? My father says the weather will be perfect for growing melons and fresh sugarcane.”

Hikari smiled at that. “Yeah, absolutely! I’ll see you then.”

With a final parting wave, Anissa left the clinic.

Hikari barely had time to lift herself up off the cushions before Jin was standing directly in front of her, his eyes scanning her up and down like he was trying to assess where the damage was.

"I hadn’t expected to see you again so soon," he said, barely masking his concern. "Is everything alright?"

Hikari’s face turned pink under his scrutinizing stare. “I-I’m fine!” she assured him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to freak you out or anything. I just thought you might like some, uh… hold on just a sec’…”

Her voice trailed off as she rummaged through her rucksack. When her hand resurfaced grasping a cold thermos, the concern in his eyes flickered back to curiosity.

"Remedy on-the-go?" he questioned.

"What?" Hikari laughed. "No, I brought you some tea! I kept it in the fridge and sweetened it with some honey and sugar. Is that okay? I didn’t know how sweet you like it, so I kept it on the mild side. I also brought some seafood curry and herb cookies for dessert. Do doctors eat cookies? They must, right? Everybody likes cookies."

Her voice quieted down when she caught herself rambling, but Jin didn’t seem to mind. He was smiling at her now, his thin lips curved upward in a pale line. “You went to all this trouble on my account?”

He adjusted his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose and took a step forward to glance over the rucksack’s contents. “I can’t say I’m disappointed. Everything looks and smells delicious.”

The compliment sent relief flooding through her. She took her first easy breath of the afternoon and grinned. If he was patronizing her, he didn’t show it. She could read only sincerity in the pleasant curve of his mouth.

"Thanks! I had a couple friends try it out, so it should at least be edible," she chuckled. When in doubt, she tried to keep expectations low. Cooking was a skill she had yet to master, but she liked to think she was getting better with every attempt. Even the failed ones.

"I wouldn’t worry," Jin replied. "I’m an easy man to please when it comes to food. You will be staying, won’t you?"

"Sure! I mean, if you’re not too busy… ?"

When he beckoned her to follow him, there was a warmth in his expression. He seemed more like he was welcoming a guest into his home rather than leading a patient to his office, which she supposed was fitting, considering the circumstances.

Hikari gladly followed him as he led her through the door behind the check-in counter, past the empty hospital beds and up a staircase on the right side of the recovery room.

He lingered in the open doorway at the end of the hall and gave her a genial smile. She hadn’t expected to be invited into his bedroom of all places, but she wasn’t complaining. It was spacious and cozy, with an abundance of potted plants taking up space in the corners where furniture wouldn’t fit.

"This is where you live?" she asked.

Jin nodded and offered her a seat in a cushy brown armchair. “Before moving to Castanet, I never strayed far from the clinic — and even then, I always seemed to bring my work home with me one way or another.”

He brought over a small, lightweight coffee table and set it before her, pausing only momentarily to grab the wooden chair from his desk. “All in all, living above my office has proved to be very efficient. I’m never far away if someone needs immediate medical attention.”

"I guess that makes sense," Hikari considered. "I take it you like working here? Instead of in the city?"

The doctor smiled thoughtfully to himself and took a seat in his chair. “I do. Very much.”

Once he saw to it that his guest was settled and procured two ceramic cups from his stash of tea things, he leaned forward and eyed her rucksack. “So, remind me again. What’s for lunch?”

 __________________________________________________ ❦

Hikari learned a lot about Doctor Jin over their meal.

He studied both traditional and holistic medicine in the city before taking up his father’s practice. Four years ago, he closed up shop and studied medicine abroad, hoping to expand his knowledge and extract healing properties from exotic plants.

He returned from his travels only five months before Hikari came to the ranch.

"This clinic was more of a natural healing center originally. My grandmother wrote to me while I was studying in the tropics and asked if I would consider moving here and expanding her business to include in-patient care. I didn’t have to think about it twice," he grinned, drawing his cup to his lips for a sip.

Hikari pushed aside her empty bowl of curry and leaned back in the armchair, resting her hands in her lap. She thought of kicking her legs up on the table before remembering her manners and deciding against it. “Wow. That’s amazing! I always wanted to be an explorer when I was a kid. Traveling all over, seeing new places…”

Jin reached for a second cookie and laughed lightly under his breath. “I don’t wish to mislead you. Yes, it could be wonderfully exciting, but there was plenty of hard work involved. I missed home terribly during those first few months. I spent so many nights sleeping in a cot that I’d almost forgotten the feel of a mattress.”

"Still," she giggled. "I think you’re luckier than most."

Jin smiled, broader than he had before, and offered her half of his cookie. “I can’t argue with you there. I’ve been fortunate to see as much of the world as I have, but if it’s any consolation, not many places compare to this town. Word must be spreading quickly, because more people seem to be arriving all the time. I’m glad you were able to take up the ranch when you did.”

Hikari hummed her agreement and nibbled on her portion of the cookie. They were better than she thought they’d be. The warm, clean taste of vanilla with just a hint of mint. “Me too. To be honest, moving here was probably the biggest adventure of my life. There was a time when I didn’t think I would ever make it to the sea.”

"Then we’re both lucky," Jin said, raising his glass in a toast-like gesture.

She sighed a sigh of contentment and observed her host from across the table. He was a beautiful man to watch. She quietly marveled at the way he wielded his chopsticks, his fingers elegant and effortlessly nimble.

There was a fluidity in the way he moved and spoke, as if every word and tilt of his head was rooted in nobility.

Unlike her first visit to the clinic, he didn’t intimidate her so much anymore. She felt at ease in his presence, though she felt slightly more conscious of the dirt on her shoes and the rough callouses on her palms than she ever did in the company of her closer friends. She absently wondered what life would be like if she were more like Anissa. Fragile, gentle and soft…

"Thank you for all of this, really. Everything was very good," Jin spoke up, luring her back to the present. "I rarely stop work long enough to have a full lunch, so this was a wonderful surprise. Next time it will be my treat."

"Next time?" Hikari perked, not bothering to hide the hope in her voice.

"Oh! I… I didn’t mean to be presumptuous," he blurted out, not quite as eloquently as before. His blush burned brightly against his pale cheeks as he removed his glasses and wiped their lenses on the lapel of his coat. "I only meant that perhaps I should bring you something to eat on my day off. Do you usually keep busy on Sundays?"

Hikari reddened as well, biting down on her bottom lip as she tended to do when she felt tongue-tied. “That would be fine! Sundays are pretty much like any other day to me. It’s not like I can order the crops to water themselves, unfortunately.”

"You won’t be too busy, though? I wouldn’t want to be a nuisance," he replied, placing his glasses back on his nose. There was a slight drop in his voice, as if reaching for a deeper tone would somehow make his cheeks seem less pink.

She smiled at the subtle change and said, “No, you won’t be a burden. I promise.” To make her point more clear, she held up a hand and crossed the other over her heart. “I came here and interrupted your work, so it’s only fair if you do the same to me. Say around… two-ish?”

Jin’s smile returned to him, if only slightly. “Of course. If that would suit you best.”

 __________________________________________________ ❦

Later that afternoon, after making a brief trip to Sonata Tailoring and picking up some summer clothes, Hikari decided to take the long route home. She wanted to walk along the beach and enjoy the weather while it was still so nice.

Thinking back on her conversation with Jin, she even removed her shoes to feel the sand beneath her toes. The water was still too chilly for swimming. She squealed when the tide came in and washed over her feet, sending her scurrying higher up the bank.

Now that she knew him better, she could honestly say she liked him. She liked how experienced he was for someone so young; how he seemed to take more of an interest in his studies than his personal life. She liked the orderliness of his bedroom and the upright way he sat in his chair. The way he smelled of herbs and closed his eyes whenever he sipped his tea.

But more than any of these things, she liked the way he behaved when he was flustered: busying his hands and deepening his voice in a futile attempt to appear more composed than he felt.

Jin’s calm demeanor had returned to him before she left. He helped her pack up what was left of their lunch and escorted her to the front door. He thanked her yet again for her company and even gave her a partial embrace when he said goodbye, squeezing her softly to his side with one arm draped across her shoulders.

She grinned when she thought of the way her head rested perfectly in the dip of his neck. It had only lasted for a fraction of a second, but she remembered the sensation fondly.

 _Sunday_ , she thought as she knelt down in the sand to pluck some berries from a wild raspberry bush.

_Only five more days to go._

___________________________________________________ ❦_

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing; all rights go to the respective owners and creators.
> 
> This is my first HM fic! Comments and critiques are welcome! :D


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